An Umbra History
by LilithiaRW
Summary: Rated T just in case. These are going to be a series of oneshots to flesh out the backgrounds of various Bayonetta characters (ex: Rosa, Balder, Rodin, Jeanne, etc) and in doing so clear up Bayonetta's past as well. Most will be canon. First up: Rosa, the witch who dared fall in love with a Lumen Sage... and she named her daughter Cereza.
1. Rosa, a witch who loved

**I seriously love Bayonetta. If you haven't played the game, drop everything and play it now. Or at least, go on youtube and look up the anime movie Bayonetta: Bloody Fate (which should tell you everything you need to know for this story).**

**Because seriously, who doesn't love a badass supernatural witch kicking divine booty? She's sexay and she knows it be-atch! Lol**

**Anyway, if you are still ready this, **_**here's how this piece works**_**:**

**These are going to be a series of oneshots to flesh out the backgrounds of various Bayonetta characters (ex: Rosa, Balder, Rodin, Jeanne, etc.). I will try to stick to the history given in the game as much as possible, at least for the oneshots that go with canon. Eventually, though, I would like this entire drabble series to be a prelude to a bigger story that I'm working on (yes, I know, I should really finish my other stories first but… I've been bitten by a rabid plot bunny).**

**Will everything stay canon? Tbh no. Canon does not give me that freedom I need with some characters. And I will probably introduce a few characters not from canon (because really, Jeanne and Bayonetta were not the only witches to have ever existed, same with Balder and the Lumen), and I eventually want to have rising action leading up to the rebirth of the Umbra coven, with Bayonetta and Jeanne rebuilding their clan.**

**If you are still reading this, thank you. I hope you enjoy. Bayonetta is a fantastic world, and it really deserves a bigger fandom.**

_**And so we start at the beginning: the meeting of two forbidden lovers.**_

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_**Rosa**_

"_In your wickedness, you have broken the ancient commandments, and crafted a bond with one of the light."_

It was never supposed to be possible. Witches were supposed to be incapable of loving anything but the sisterhood. Men were mere playthings and witches fed off their lusty souls. Their bodies and souls belonged to the coven, their ancestors, and sisters in arms. Witches were tainted by the dark demons that they commanded, touched by Inferno.

And yet.

And yet.

One witch did fall.

Rosa had always loved flowers. Her sanctuary was a valley nestled high in the Alps of middle Europe. Every spring she secluded herself there, watching the wildflowers bloom in the light of the sun and moon. Their scent wrapped around her like a blanket and clung to her skin, and colorful petals entangled within her hair.

In this way, she appeared more like a woodland nymph than one of the great Umbra Witches. Like most witches, Rosa had dark black hair, which gleamed indigo under the light. Her skin was smooth and peach-colored; her face was oval with gently rounded cheekbones. She had light blue eyes that were almost gray curtained by thick lashes, and her pink lips were always curved into a soft smile. Rosa had always been different from other witches. While she was just as fierce a fighter as her sisters, unlike many witches Rosa was a kind soul. She did not fight unless necessary and never preyed upon mortal souls like so many other witches did for sport. She would rather spend her leisure watching nature flourish.

One early morning while Rosa was resting among the wildflowers, she sensed another divine presence approaching. Her eyes flew open and they stared at each other.

The morning rays bounced off the gilded armor, scattering golden light across the meadow. White and gold plating, along with the familiar crest of a rising sun upon the breastplate, told Rosa all she needed to know. It was a Lumen sage- the eternal rivals of the Umbra coven. He was a pale young man, tall and lean, with eyes like the sky and hair as golden as his armor. Neat curls swept away from his face, revealing arching cheekbones and thin lips.

His eyes were sharp like a hawk, studying the woman before him. The Lumen recognized the Witch Watch gracing her chest immediately; though without the artifact the sage would never have guessed that a witch stood before him. The Umbra was not in the customary battle uniform, but wore a dark blue dress with loose sleeves and a slightly flared skirt, a wide brown belt cinched around her waist for shape. Long indigo hair was pulled into a half-bun-ponytail on top of her crown, tied with a single red ribbon which tangled among the flower petals in the cascade of black that reached her ankles. She was staring at him, clearly just as surprised as he was at the other's presence.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was soft but unwavering, surprising the Lumen by her lack of hostility, which would have been expected between the rival factions.

Rosa resisted the urge to shift nervously as the sage regarded her curiously, bright blue eyes boring down upon her. His voice was surprisingly deep when he spoke, despite how young he looked. "I did not realize that others knew of this place."

Rosa tilted her head as she studied his words. "ah. So this is your sanctuary as well?"

Her continuing friendliness seemed to confuse the young man as he nodded stiffly.

"Well I'm not against sharing." The young witch held out her hand in greeting. "I am Rosa, Witch of the Thorn."

There was an awkward pause as the Lumen simply stared at her hand. Then, rather hesitantly, the sage slowly raised his own hand to clasp hers in a handshake.

"You are… very kind… for a witch." He rumbled haltingly, still confused by the amused light in the witch's –in Rosa's – eyes.

Rosa smiled sweetly at him. "I get that a lot."

The blond man continued to stare at the Umbra, who was nothing like how the other Lumen sages had described her kind.

"So what is your name?"

He ever so slowly returned her smile. "I am Balder, of the Lumen Sages."

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_**Please review!**_

**Oh, and I forgot the disclaimer earlier…**** I DON'T OWN BAYONETTA**** (unfortunately) **

**Lots O' Love,**

**~Lilithia**


	2. Condemnation

**I DON'T OWN BAYONETTA OR ITS CHARACTERS**

**No matter what people might say, forbidden love **_**never**_** works out! LOL**

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_**Balder**_

"_Our laws are clear: they demand you be eternally imprisoned."_

Witches were supposed to be infertile, their bodies tainted by Inferno. Still, neither Rosa nor Balder could suppress their joy when they felt the life growing within the pretty young Umbra. But neither could they deny their fear. Rosa, being the gentle woman that she was, refused to even think of aborting the child. Balder agreed. It was not long after they discovered her pregnancy that the coven found out as well. And all hell broke loose.

The Umbra Queen and Elder Council called for a shared trial with the Lumen Council against the two lovers. The two clans would punish their respective members, and the gender of the abominable halfling would decide tis jurisdiction. The lovers were forcefully separated, Rosa imprisoned in the Umbra cages and Balder publicly detained before the tiers of Paradiso, strung spread-eagle with holy chains that burned his skin, forever imprinting his sin upon flesh.

When the child was born, the two lovers reunited after nine months before the dual Umbra and Lumen councils. Balder barely paid attention to the words of the elders as he stared at his daughter. He had fathered a witch; a beautiful creature with bright blue eyes, ebony curls, and plump, peachy cheeks. The little girl was nestled in the crook of Rosa's arms, and despite the mother looking weary and unkempt from her imprisonment; Balder had never seen anything so beautiful. Now he understood the miracle of mortals, their joy despite such short lives. Unlike immortals, the humans could create life. Suddenly Balder was overcome with jealousy; that mere mortals could possess the one thing he was forbidden to. The one happiness denied to the divine was children. And here a miracle had occurred, in the form of his innocent and brilliant divine daughter, and the clans were condemning them!

Rosa inched closer to him in an attempt to avoid the heavy glares of the council. Balder put his arm around her shoulders and drew her in, the witch resting her head against his chest and hiding their child between their bodies as if it would shield the baby from the councils' ire. The oppressive atmosphere thickened at the show of affection between the forbidden lovers, but Balder ignored it. Hesitantly, his hand stroked the top of his daughter's head, her black strands as soft as down feathers.

"Her name is Cereza." Rosa whispered to him.

Balder glanced at her. "Our child… We have a daughter…" He murmured in wonder, his hand trembling as he cupped the infant's head, her bright blue eyes matching his.

The moment was interrupted as a loud bang echoed in the hall of the Umbra court, the Witch Queen's staff hitting the floor and gaining everyone's attention. But instead of jumping apart, the small family drew closer together, increasing the wrath of the councils.

"Enough." The Witch Queen's voice was harsh. She approached Rosa to study the child in her arms. And much to their astonishment, a red light flashed from within the Witch Queen's jeweled staff and seemed to land in Cereza's left eye. The child blinked blearily, unconcerned and apparently unaffected. The Umbra Council stared at the baby, incredulous and hoping that the Lumen embassy had not seen what just occurred. The Witch Queen frowned and pulled away, Rosa and Balder glancing down worryingly at the now reddish gleam in their daughter's eye.

"Our laws are clear," The Witch Queen resumed her stance between them and the councils, "They demand you be eternally imprisoned. As for the impure child, she must be kept from the path of the dark arts forever!"

After this the Lumen Cardinal stood up, standing alongside the Witch Queen. "As for you, Balder of the Right Eye, you will be punished by cleansing flame, and are hereby stripped of your rank and shall be cast down from Paradiso. Such a shame, really. You were the best of us."

Rosa sucked in a breath and glanced at her lover. "They're going to burn you –"

"Furthermore, the two of you will never see each other again!" The Umbra Queen hissed, and then pointed her staff at Rosa. "Take her away!"

"_NO!"_

Balder and Rosa clung to one another as the Lumen and Umbra guards simultaneously grabbed the pair. The jolting movements disturbed the infant, and Cereza's wailing was added to the clamor of shouts and protests. Large men in white and gold armor, their faces obscured by red helms, gripped Balder by his shoulders and pulled him from Rosa – _"ROSA!"_ – Umbra witches dressed in ebony body suits and black veils dug their nails into Rosa's arms as they pried the witch's fingers away from her lover's grasp –_"BALDER!" –_ Until finally, Balder lost his grip on Rosa's hand, and the Lumen embassy was engulfed in golden light and disappeared into Paradiso above.

Rosa bit her lip as she and little Cereza were roughly led to the lower dungeons of the Umbra tower. The baby girl's cries bounced off the cold, damp stone walls, echoing the pain within Rosa's heart. She soothed the child as best as she could despite her own hopelessness. And when the warded steel grates clanged shut behind her, Rosa sank to her knees and wept.

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_**Please review!**_

**Lots O' Love,**

**~Lilithia**


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